Shadow

Shadows are powerful cat-like demons that appear in Devil May Cry. The shadows surrounding their bodies must be dispelled with firearms before they can be damaged. In Easy Automatic Mode, Shadows only appear in Secret Mission 10: Shadow of Darkness & Secret Mission 4: The Three Beasts.

Description
Shadows are cunning and malicious demons that, due to their lack of substance in the Human World, use dark powers to grant themselves form and protect them from physical attacks. They generally take a cat-like appearance, although they can use their demonic powers to change their forms to defeat foes. Their shadowy armor cannot protect against firearms, however, and will disperse to reveal their vulnerable core if shot with enough bullets. Once the core is exposed, they can no longer defend against sword or strike. However, if attacked physically, they will release shadow energy in the form of spikes.

Shadows can morph into a spear-like form to lunge at enemies. They expect this fearsome appearance will terrify their opponents, and will become shocked, momentarily paralyzed, should anyone stand on them in this form. While stunned, their core is particularly vulnerable to firearms. Its spinning attack is very accurate, but always preceded by a high vault into the air.

A Shadow's presence in the room is tipped off by light footsteps.

Strategy
The Shotgun or Ebony & Ivory are most effective for exposing the Shadow's core. Nightmare B is not recommended against Shadows, as it drains DT energy. Ifrit is also useful against Shadows; especially if you plan to deal a great deal of damage quickly, or you are in a confined space. The quickest way to finish off a Shadow is to simply activate Devil Trigger with the shotgun equipped. Once its core is revealed, use the Kick-13 combo while in Devil Trigger. If you prefer Alastor, you can use the Stinger combo. Waiting for its spear form is a good strategy, and may leave the core open to attack. However, on DMD mode this is simply a waste of time unless you're certain you can expose the core without waiting too long. Once enough damage has been done, Shadows will turn red and attack with even greater ferocity. If they catch you in their jaw-like form while in this phase, they will explode kamikaze style and deal a great amount of damage.

Facing off against more than one Shadow can be challenging, particularly if you have not fully upgraded Dante. However, it is vital to keep an eye on all of them if possible. If you only focus on one, you would leave yourself vulnerable to attacks from the others. Their corkscrew attack is both accurate and destructive, hence you need to know where they are at all times. Going into Devil Trigger can help here. By using Air Raid, try to force as many Shadows as you can into their core form, then use Vortex to hit all of them at once. Overall, using Devil Trigger can be a lot quicker to end a fight with these demons than ordinary attacks.

Avoiding the Corkscrew attack can take some practice, although you can simply roll to the side to dodge it or jump over it as the demon comes back down. However it can be a bit difficult to dodge, especially if you don`t see it coming (such as when fighting multiple Shadows). On harder difficulties this does massive damage so practicing dodging it is essential. The spike attack from the ground is not too difficult to dodge as long as you are prepared for it. If you're fighting more than one Shadow, it's best to be wary of the situation around you rather than the spikes.

On Dante Must Die mode, be quick about defeating them. If you are attempting "The Three Beasts" on DMD mode, make sure you stay far away from them while they're in DT mode. In this mode, the Shadows will automatically release their magical energy as opposed to firing it after being hit by Dante`s sword, with devastating results.

Devil May Cry Volume 2
A Shadow demon appears as a leader of the demon rebellion against Mundus, taking the place of Vergil, who perished in the war. Though initially human, he can take on the form of a Shadow while in his Devil Trigger state. His clothing is similar to Dante's, but black in color.

Background
In The Divine Comedy, one of the beasts Dante Alighieri encounters in the Dark Forest is a leopard who bars Dante's path towards salvation.

Trivia

 * The sound used for the Shadow's footsteps is taken directly from the Licker from the early Resident Evil series.
 * The Blitz in Devil May Cry 4 is similar to the Shadow since the player needs to shoot it with firearms to make it vulnerable and if the enemy reverts to its invulnerable form with a different color, it will try to grab Dante and explode.